After a delicious breakfast and the morning ritual of cleaning of the dirty dishes and doing chores, Itachi and Shisui joined their family outside on a late morning stroll. Itama continued to stick to Lori, who tensed less than she did in the beginning at each touch, hug and pull from the small child. Butsuma and his eldest sons watched as Itama tried to play with the elder girl, wanting to play hide and seek. Butsuma lay relaxed in the recliner, watching his sons, one of whom was tense and practically trying to bore holes through the female's head.
"Brother, what if she..." Tobirama's whispers did not fall on deph ears, but Hashirama held a trust in the girl. Seeing the small, almost untracable glimpses of kindness in her eyes as she watched their little brother show her a kunai.
"No, she would not," The darker haired brother whispered back. "Look at her, closely. Her eyes, tell me, what do you see?" Tobirama held a confused expression but took his brother's request out of respect. "I see... joy? Maybe... but it could be an act." Tobirama reasoned more to himself than to his elder brother and father. Butsuma wathced his two sons with an unreadable expression but said nothing in the girl's defense.
"Tobirama," Hashirama began. "You would let the revelation that she was raised by evil, lunatic monsters discourage your faith in her?" "She was raised to be evil!" Tobirama hissed under his breath glancing back to make sure that no one had heard. Hashirama stared at his brother with hard eyes. "But is she? If all she said was true, she could have used that toxic gas on us and we would all be six feet under long before now." The elder Senju brother defended.
"Maybe she is just too afraid to." Tobirama countered. Hashirama knew that it could easily be a possibility but he could see the stirring of emotions on Lori's face each time Itama was around her, and even a lesser amount in her eyes with Jeri and the other ninja. "Tobirama, I am very disappointed in you... you would let this ordeal destroy your bond with her, and for what?"
Tobirama all but rounded on the elder of the two. "What bond? There is no bond, brother!" He growled, voice raising in tone out of anger of his pride being insulted. Saying he had lessened courage. Out of everyone on the panet there were only four people to get under his skin: Hashirama when he was an idiot, Madara, Izuna, and Lori.
Just to Tobirama's sheer luck the Uchihas' had returned from their walk along with Minato and Kushina and had been listening in from the other room. Loristared at Tobirama, the former emotions of joy all but raging like a fire, they were gone. Only an empty, lifeless color remained in her eyes as she stared passively at the silver haired Senju. Putting the ball down she moved away from Itama who tried unsuccessfully to grab her pants leg. Tobirama's red gaze traveled after her retreating form as she made her way outside and out of sight.
Itama pouted, the normally cheerful child now confused and sullen. "Big btother, what were you two talking about? Why did big sister walk away?" Tobirama was in a daze, the master strategist now caught off guard. Had Lori been listening in, or had she simply guessed about the topic of the conversation?
Lori walked numbly towards the water, standing on yhe cliff overlooking the nearby Mississippi River. The salty wind bruahed through her hair welcoming her and she welcomed the coolness of the breeze just as it had to her. Her muscles relaxed as she sat down, letting everything sink in. It was never to be, she guessed. They would never trust her, even though her gaurd had been receeding, at least enough for her to start feeling things again. How long had it been since she last felt... nice... happy to be where she was?
The water glimmered in the sunlight, beconing her to go for a late morning swim. She would have too... if not for the problems at hand and it being too cold.
She had to do it. She had to finiah the mission, but first she had to get a refill on her medicine. She had not been taking it for a couple of days lately. Once she finished it she could leave, but where would she go? Its not like she wanted to go back to that hellhole, but she had no other choice. It would be a matter of time before they found her, she was not a U.S. Citizen, and would have no where left to turn.
The sun's rays were now blocked by the metalic gray clouds above, fluffy and heavy with the mass amounts of water they retained inside them. The delicate scent of rain floated into her nostrils fortelling a change in the forecast. It would rain soon. It looked to be a storm.
"Hey," Lori jumps from her spot at the cliffs edge in panic and looks up to see the unwanted visitor. Tobirama stood tall gazed at the waves rolling along with the wind in a dance of grace and serenity. Lori returned her attention to the waves as well, feeling... unusual when she watched its sapphire hue. She felt... relieved? Was that what it was called? When the invisible weight seemed to disappear all at once? "You must know that-" Tobirama words were quickly cut off by Lori's sharp tounge.
"Save it..." She said calmly. "I know you were talking about me. Don't even try to deny it, you think I am ignorant and blind to the world around me but it is not so."
Tobirama's gaze stayed neutral as his eyes turned to the top of the girl's head, the clouds seeming to part slightly allowing for the golden light to flood the water below and the land above. "You are not wrong," he answered carefully. "But you are not right either." Lori reluctantly turned her head some to see the man as he continued. "I was talking about you, yes, but I fo acknowledge that you see more than what a normal person would." Wuickly catching that misreading from Lori's face, he clarified.
"You are not normal, you are extraordinarily perspective and I would like to say thank you." He couldn't believe he had just gave her a compliment, not to mention swallowed his pride and thanked her.
She stared at him cynically. "For what? What is your ulterior motive Senju?"
He figured he should have counted on that, it must be karma for him judging her so harshly as well. "For being good to Itama; it means a lot to him. As for my motive, there is none. I think we just got off on the wrong sides of the battlefield is all."
"He's a kid, its kinda against my principles to injure a child in any form." She states nonchalantly.
Hello! I am sure you all are wondering where I have been this past month... I have been loaded with schoolwork and been trying to get my grades up from C's! I am now able to write again and I have more fun in store for the ninja and the girls!
Q1: What did Lori mean by callimg the place she was sent to this new home from a hellhole?
(She had to do it. She had to finiah the mission, but first she had to get a refill on her medicine. She had not been taking it for a couple of days lately. Once she finished it she could leave, but where would she go? Its not like she wanted to go back to that hellhole, but she had no other choice. It would be a matter of time before they found her, she was not a U.S. Citizen, and would have no where left to turn.)
Q2: How fo you think Lori feels? What does it make you readers feel?
Q3: Were you expecting Tobirama to make up with Lori, like this? What fo you feel about it?
Please, dear readers, tell me your thoughts and opinions about this new chapter. Thank you.
